Ghost Writer (Raven Maxim Book 1) (15 page)

A Comedy of Errors

“I
didn’t say
that, Nikki.” Emerald sighed as her chest tightened with mounting anxiety.

“You didn’t have to.” Emerald moaned in annoyance. Her lips twisted like angry snakes at her daughter’s words. It had been an exhausting day, but the good Lord apparently didn’t feel she was quite tired enough and ordered one more round of foolishness for her to endure. She leaned back on her fluffy cream bed sheets; their softness soothed her while she maneuvered about in an attempt to ease a slightly sore lower back. “You just gave me that look, Mom.”

“What look?” She hooked her gaze on the television screen before her where Andy Griffin paraded around Mayberry in shades of gray.

“I can’t see you, but I know you’re making that face.”

Emerald bit her tongue for a moment, trying to find the right words. Looking away from the screen, she snatched up her Essence magazine from the other side of the bed and turned the pages. Glossy pictures smelled of perfume samples, but the text seemed a blur.

“Look, after the last argument we had, the
last
thing I want to do is start up with it again.”

“I don’t see why not. You’re not a quitter,” her daughter jabbed.

“Nikki, I’ve had enough. Can’t we just talk without you being so angry all the time? Why even call me if you’re going to take me through all of these changes?” Emerald grimaced hard, causing a slight ache in her jaw as her nerves and muscles jumped. She only heard a grunt or two in response from the other end of the line.

“Life is too damn short, Nikki. I don’t want to keep fighting with my only child who is all the way in Afghanistan. I told you that family should never go to bed mad at each other, and now you’ve done it twice.”

“And so have you.”

“I wasn’t mad.” She huffed as she snatched at another page and pulled it back, almost ripping it right out. “
You
were. Let me make you a promise. You’ll always know when I’m angry. I don’t have any problems telling you so.” She looked over at a half painted chair she’d been working on and went back to turning the pages of the magazine, not really caring what she was looking at.

After a few moments of silence, Nikki cleared her throat. “I’ll be coming home in about three months, Mom. That was my whole point for bringing any of this up. Not to mention I don’t like feeling this way… How can you go from being my… shit… never mind.” Her daughter’s voice trailed on the other end, becoming a ghostly whisper barely heard and never seen.

“I love you, Nikki. Nothin’ is ever going to change that, baby.”

“Until I told you the truth, right? You told me to tell you and then got mad. The real question is, why was I even surprised?” The young woman chuckled mirthlessly.

“And I told you it was fine… I don’t have problems with the truth. When have you known me to prefer livin’ in denial?” With a slightly shaky hand, she reached for the glass of water she’d set on the cardboard coaster. Bringing it to her lips, she dared herself to not dribble the drink all down the front of her old, oversized Beatles T-shirt, which she enjoyed sleeping in from time to time. The bleach stained collar was all stretched out, but she loved it just the same. She’d paired it with some black and white skull and bone motif print leggings, cozy and ready for a good night’s rest.

“Yeah, all right. Let’s see what you say when I come home. It’ll be a totally different story,” Nikki stated sarcastically, clicking her tongue against her cheek like she always did when she was annoyed. She knew her daughter all too well, could almost envision her doing it. The young lady wanted to battle, duke it out. She’d already been trained to fight for the country; wasn’t that enough? She was a first lieutenant in the army, forging her way quickly up the ranks. The young woman meant business; she was aggressive and a go-getter. Emerald liked to imagine she took after her, or perhaps, vice versa. Either way, she was happy that they shared the same DNA.

“Nikki…”

“Yeah, Mom.”

She hated Nikki’s indolent, apathetic tone. “I just want you to be safe, healthy and happy. That’s all I want. That’s all I ever wanted, okay?”

“I am.”

“All right. Good to know.” She took another sip of her water while the vibe between them turned stifled, awkward, missing words, paragraphs, and vital punctuation.

“Oh, I almost forgot,” Nikki uttered after at least a minute had passed. “I got the box. Thanks for sending the books and iPad.”

“You’re welcome.” She turned another page, slowly. The fight had seeped out of her. Emotionally exhausted, stretched out, tired and worn like her shirt, she felt a sense of sadness that had no end in sight. So much so, she’d begun to accept this might simply be how she and Nikki would interact from there on out.

“And… I’ve been doing a lot of thinking. I need to tell you this more.”

“Tell me what more?”

“I know it doesn’t seem like it all the time, but I love you. I know you love me too, Mom… I know you do.”

“Of course I love you.” Her stomach churned with hurt; her eyes remained dry but begged to release tears she simply wouldn’t relinquish. “My love for you will always exist, no matter what.” And she meant that.

“I know. Well, Mom, I have to go… Oh! One more thing.”

“What?” She set the magazine slowly down beside her and crossed her ankles while stifling a soft yawn.

“Be careful, please.”

“Be careful? Careful about what?”

“I don’t like you goin’ out late like you do. You’ve always been a night owl, but something could happen. Stop it, please.”

“Now you’re just being silly!” she blurted. “I’m so sick and tired of people trying to tell me what to do.” She chuckled. “It’s a conspiracy.”

“I’m serious. It really bothers me… a woman like you out all alone.”

“A woman like
me
? Have you been talking to Aunt Sugar? Never mind! You act as if I’m some invalid millin’ around with millions of dollars glued to my forehead in the middle of the projects, daring someone to step to me – and besides, you stay out all hours of the night and no one is making you change your ways.”

“Yeah, but it’s my job now and I’ve got an M9. You’ve probably only got some expired pepper spray and a bunch of coupons for dish detergent in your purse… Now how is any of that going to help you protect yourself? You gonna only make them blink a lot and then paper cut them to death for $1.00 off before the expiration date?” They burst out laughing, their sighs of relief for the reprieve wrapping around them, each giving one another a warm hug from afar. “I love you, Mom…” The young lady repeated, as if to ensure she’d been heard the first time and most importantly, to deliver her version of an apology.

“I love you too. And I worry about you,
too
. You can’t tell me not to; it’s just what mothers do. If you ever have children of your own, you’ll understand.”

A moment of silence followed, as if something had died. Maybe it had, perchance the little bit of hope that she had left… No one dared touch the elephant in the room, for when one of them attempted to, an argument ensued, and it involved everything but the large, husked animal shaking its lengthy trunk for all to see.

“Yeah.” Nikki sighed. “I guess I can understand your point of view… Goodnight, Mom.”

Good night, baby.”

She heard a series of clicks, and then the other end went silent. She hung up, placed the phone on the cradle, and replayed in her mind the last words uttered from her child. She looked over at the phone as she did so, noting her stretched, distorted image in the chrome luster. She loved that phone. It was a replica of an antique. She’d picked it up at a little store that sold cheap odds and ends and decided to treat herself to something whimsical. Besides, she hated being on her cell phone all the time.

She longed for the days of phone cords that tangled and stretched, reminding you that a real person was on the other end of the line, a person with a pulse, connected via a series of wires. Placing her glass of water back to her lips, she took another sip, this one steadier than the last. Her heart no longer raced as it had when she’d first received the call. Setting it back down, she picked up the remote control and channel surfed, desperately hunting for something amusing – stupidly funny would be best. She landed upon a show she didn’t recognize, but figured it may do the trick. Crossing her ankles after a long sigh, she nestled further under the sheets, bundling up. Then, she smiled. She’d had a good day after all, even if not everything had gone quite as planned. She was alive, healthy and loved. And for that, she was eternally grateful…

“Quit being so
stubborn. Just take a selfie and send it to me.”

“What? We’re a couple now? Sorry, you’re not my type,” Sloan teased as he pulled into a parking space.

“I wanna see if you got yourself fresh, you know, prepared right for this,” Mike quipped on the other end of the phone.

Sloan cut the engine off to his vehicular pride and joy. She purred for a split second, then settled nice and easy, cooling her jets, preparing for rest.

“I know how to dress, jackass.” Adjusting his seat, he leaned back into it.

“I saw you on your last date… you wore a Yankees baseball cap to an exclusive dinner club. Good goin’, Hugh Hefner!”

“I didn’t get to the barber on time and anyway, you’re the one that looks like an overgrown tick stuffed in a pair of blue jeans, Mike the mighty mite!”

“Yeah? Is that so, funny man, Freddy? I’m tryna help you out you antisocial motherfucker, but ya throw insults at me, huh? That’s what cha do? I hope you fall in a pit some goddamn where. I bet when they finally find jah you’ll be dressed in your bathrobe, just as you are for this date.”

Sloan chuckled, but his amusement was fleeting. In fact, he was itching for a cigarette so patted his pants pocket, daring himself to get a few puffs in before it was too late. “Anyway, I’m here early.” He looked about the area. “The place is fillin’ up pretty fast. Hope she gets here soon or she might have a long walk.”

“You met ’er in a grocery store, huh? Who meets chicks in grocery stores, nowadays? Classic! That’s good though; glad to see you making moves. Now most people are meeting online. My son has some shit on his phone called Tinder.”

“Tinder? Like chicken tender?”

“No.”

“Like little young tender? What the hell is that? Just a meat shop of the carnal kind?” At this, his friend burst out laughing.

“Might as well be, some app for hook ups ’nd shit. People don’t date anymore, Sloan. We’re old school. They either hook up for sex, have one night stands, or run off ’nd get married to someone they barely know. Times have changed for sure.”

“Yeah, the world is a different place from even ten years ago.” Sloan sighed.

“A crazy, fucked up place. Every day it seems to get a little worse. All sorts of shit, man… planes crashin’ with no remains or black boxes being found, and now we’re taking cruise ships to Cuba with no worries of dope being jammed up our asses to be used as a drug mule. It’s irrational. The world’s changed a bit for the better, but for the most part, the masses have gone stark ravin’ mad.”

“Yeah, things have gotten insane, that’s for sure.” He leaned forward and turned his stereo up a notch.

“Hey, what’s that you’re listening to? The Time?”

“Yeah, “Ice Cream Castles” by The Time. Sounds good, right? I found the old cassette in one of the boxes I unpacked a while back. The new stereo system I had put in this baby plays CDs, cassettes, everything.” He smiled at the thing with pride. “Of course I have my mp3 player, too, but I really love this.”

“Finally got your 1958 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz. It’s slick, too. Let me take it for a spin.”

“You can on February 30
^th
.”

“There
isn’t
a February 30
^th
.”

“Exactly.” To his right, a dark red Mazda pulled into the parking lot. “Hey, I think this might be her.” He strained his neck trying to get a closer inspection. The car moved a bit closer, then turned around and parked quite a distance away. “I think I’ll meet ’er half way. Gotta go.”

“You’re takin’ her back to the grocery store tonight, point at the clearance bin and tell her to get whatever her heart desires? Sloan the big spender! Nothin’s too good for any lady of yours, right?!” Mike teased, laughing his ass off on the other end.

“I already told ya where I was: the comedy club, smart ass! And I see what you’re tryna do. I’m not the cheapskate
you
are.”

“How so? I ain’t cheap!”

“Says the man who bought his ex-wife a happy meal on his third date with her and then cut the small burger in half so you two could split it. You probably kept the goddamn toy for yourself, too!”

“She said she was on a diet! And besides, she wouldn’t put out. I wasn’t going to take her anywhere nice anymore until she at
least
gave me a blowjob… and speaking of puttin’ out, I hope you get laid tonight. Do it for the gang, please!”

“You got that five hundred bucks you owe me, chief?” He was met with the call immediately ending and burst out laughing at Mike’s nonverbal response. Checking himself out in the rear view mirror one final time, he licked his thumb and slicked down a wayward hair in his left brow. He ran his fingertips along his carefully trimmed beard, ensuring each hair was in its proper place. Giving himself a final wink of approval, he stepped out of the car, tugged at the hem of his button-down cream shirt, and tapped his ass to make sure his wallet was where it belonged. Then, he made his way across the parking lot.